Additions to Sporormiaceae: Introducing two novel genera, Sparticola and Forliomyces, from Spartium

Members of the family Sporormiaceae are mostly saprobic on dung, but sometimes occur on other substrates, including plant debris, soil and wood. They have also been isolated as endophytes. The taxonomy and classification of the family is based on a small number of morphological and ecological characters. Several taxa are easily confused by their shared morphological features, and the relationships between genera are inadequately recognized and in need of critical study. In recent treatments, the genera Chaetopreussia, Pleophragmia, Preussia, Sporormia, Sporomiella, Spororminula and Westerdykella were included in the family. During our survey on various hosts and habitats in Italy we obtained several interesting ascomycetous fungi from Spartium junceum. In this paper we introduce Sparticola and Forliomyces gen. nov. with three new species, namely Forliomyces uniseptata, Sparticola forlicesenae and Sparticola junci in the family Sporormiaceae based on multi-locus phylogeny together with morphology. Illustrated accounts are provided for the new taxa, which are compared with morphologically related taxa. Further, we provide an illustrated account of the type of Massariosphaeria triseptata and synonymize it under Sparticola.